Method of and machine for making wire brushes



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. J. .BUCHEL. METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE BRUSHES. 512,800.

Patented Jan. 16, 1894.;

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J. BUOHEL. METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE BRUSHES.- No. 512,800.

Patented Jan. 16; 1894.

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J'. BUOHEL. METHOD or AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE BRUSHES.

No. 512,800. a Patented Jan. 16, 1894.

56 41.1 I I 111 111 INT/ 1 mh if' m UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J ULES BUCHEL, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

METHOD OF AND MACHINE FOR MAKING WIRE BRUSHES.

QPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 512,800, dated January 16, 1894.

Application filed March 27, 1893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J ULES BUCHEL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at New Orleans, inthe parish of Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Methods of and Machines for Making Wire Brushes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

My invention relates to the methods of and machines for inserting wire bristles into the solld back of a brush and has for its object to provide a device and also a method by whlch Wire may be taken, just as it rolls off a reel, and forced directly into a solid piece of wood or other substance, a sufiicient distance to hold it firmly in place and then cutting the wire at the proper distance leaving the bristle securely embedded.

My invention consists in the construction of a machine by which the above object is accomplished and in means for cutting oif the brlstles at a uniform height and also for means in automatically feeding the block or back into position to receive the bristles consecutively.

It also consists in the method of making wire brushes and in certain construction and arrangementof parts as hereinafter described and claimed. Referringto the drawings which form a part of this specification and in which similar numerals of reference denote similar parts in the several views:Figure 1, is a side elevation of the machine complete, with the driving pulley removed. Fig.2 is a horizontal sectional View taken on the line A. B. Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of the feed rollers, cutters and wire guide. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the same looking up. Fig. 6 is a side view taken on line OD, Fig. 4. Fig. 7 shows a section, of a cylindrical brush which may be made with my machine either with a solid back or one composed of sections as shown. Fig. 8 shows a series of sections of different wires which may be used by the machine.

10 represents the bed plate of the machine which supports the bracket piece 11 and also Serial No. 467,851. (No model.)

the slide rest 12. This slide rest is arranged to move back and forth in front of the bed plate to which it is suitably secured by the slide pieces 13. For moving the slide rest, two racks are provided, one, 16 fastened to the slide rest and operated automatically by the pinion 17 as will be presently described, and the other rack let secured to the base plate and operated on by the pinion wheel secured to shaft 18. This shaft has a bearing in the hanging piece 20 and carries at its outer end a suitable crank handle 19 by which it may be rotated.

The plate 23 of the chuck piece is adapted to slide back and forth on the slide rest at right angles to its motion and this is secured by cross feed screw 21 which passes through a screwthreaded portion of the chuck and is provided with a suitable bell handle 22 at its end.

The chuck is made with a fixed flange 2d and another movable one 25 which may be fastened to the plate 23 at any point by set screw 26 thus firmly securing the block or back of the brush 29 to the chuck plate. At the insertion of each wire bristle the chuck is fed along one space by the automatic pinion 17 and when one row of bristles is completed the chuck may be returned by hand pinion wheel 15 and at the same time the proper spacing between the rows is given by turning the feed screw 21 thus drawing the chuck one space from the base plate preparatory to inserting the next row of bristles; or the return and cross feed motions may be controlled automatically as in ordinary feeding devices.

The main shaft, 30, of the machine is journaled in suitable bearings supported on the bed plate and on the bracket 11 and carries the main driving pulley 31 which revolves freely on the shaft except when in gear with the clutch 33 which has a feather key that permits of lateral motion but keeps it revolving with'the shaft. The clutch is operated by hand lever 32 which is used to stop and start the machine.

34: is a collar to properly space the driving pulley and steady the shaft. The hand lever is pivoted on a piece secured to the bed plate and at the point 35 it carries a pin which runs in groove of clutch 33. There is also on the shaft the cam 36 fastened by set screw 37. This cam is arranged to operate the lever 39 which is fastened to the end of shaft 28 supported on the bed plate in the bearings 27. The lever is provided with an extension 43 which is fastened by a spring 44 to the bed plate, thus forcing it to bear at all times against the cam at the point 38. Lever 39 also carries the pawl 41 controlled by spring 43 whereby it constantly engages the pinion wheel on shaft 28. This transfers its motion through the pinion 17 and rack 16 to the sliding rest as above described. The cam 36 causes one motion of the lever and turns the pinion 40 a certain distance at each revolution of the main shaft, thus moving the brush along just one space between the bristles of a row at each insertion and the cam is so set that it will operate the lever at the time just after one wire is cut and before the next one is inserted. Another cam 45 is set on the main shaft for operating the mechanism for cutting off the wires.

The bracket piece 11 extends out over the sliding rest and carries at its end the two pieces and 56 which are pivoted together at 57, the piece 56 being fast to the bracket and the piece 55 being adjustable to and from it by means of bolt 58. These pieces carry the two feed rollers 59 and 60 between which the wire passes as it is fed to the brush the pressure between these and upon the wire being regulated by adjusting screw 58. The other end of each of these shafts is provided with a gear wheel which work together and one of them also meshes with the large gear wheel 53 having a ratchet wheel 54 and turning upon the shaft 49. The rocking lever 50 has its bearing on this shaft and is connected at its other end 48 with the connecting rod 47 which in turn is connected to crank 46 of the main shaft. The rocking lever also carries a pawl 51 which is held down onto the ratchet wheel 54 by the spring 52. Thus during one half of a revolution of the main shaft, the pawl engages the ratchet wheel, turning gear-wheels 53 and those on the feed roller shafts whereby the rollers feed the wire downward fora certain distance. Then during the other half of the revolution, the pawl merely slides back over the ratchet wheel. The wire may be fed from a reel 62 supported by an arm 61, above the rollers. The wire passes down through the wire guide 63 which is secured to the piece 56 of the bracket as best shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

Along its outer edge at just the point where the rollers meet, the guide 63 has a small segment 64 cut from each side so that the rollers just fit together in the opening. The guide is made to fit the shape of wire being used and the rollers are also ground accordingly so that the wire is secured against any possible lateral movement or bending after it enters the guide. Below the rollers there is a small slot in the guide to admit the cutters 65 and 66. Cutter 66 is fastened to the piece 55 by a screw passing througha slotted opening and also has an adjusting screw 67. The other movable cutter 65 is preferably in the form of a circular disk with a pointed edge so that as one part becomes dull it may be turned to another position. It is also preferred that the cutting edge be set witha diamond point all the way around, as it wears very much longer than a steel cutter. This cutter is attached to the sliding piece 68 the stem of which is controlled by the spring 72. The lever 69 is pivoted to the bracket at 70 and the other end of the lever is arranged to bear against the cam 45 and is held against the cam face by the spring 71.

The lever 69 has an extension containinga screw 73 having a round head with holes for adjusting and jam-nut 74 to prevent getting loose or out of adjustment. This screw is arranged to bear against the stem of the sliding piece 68 so that as the lever follows the face of the cam, the sliding cutter will be moved toward the wire and the spring 72 will be compressed. Then as the lever passes the abrupt part of the cam the spring moves back the sliding piece 68. Screw 73 serves to adjust the motion of the cutter 65.

Now it is evident that after the wire is cut off there must be an opening in the guide below the cutter for the bristle to come out as the brush is automatically moved along. This opening is covered by the flap 75 which is fastened to the piece 68 by screws 77 in such a position that it projects just far enough to cover the slot or opening in the wire guide, when each wire is being inserted. Screw 76 works in a slot in the sliding piece and keeps it in position. In front of the sliding piece and below the cutter is a piece marked 78, called the deflector, which is screwed to the bracket, and serves the purpose of deflecting the wires of the previous row. This is necessary, as the cutters usually have beveled edges, and the bristles will be longer when the rows are close together than the space immediately at the side of the guide and their tops are therefore deflected out of the way as shown in Fig. l.

It is of course necessary that the wire guide should extend down into close contact to the back of the brush and then when the flap closes the opening in the guide below the cutters, there is no chance for the wire to bend in the least and the grip of the rollers being sufficient it is forced directly into the solid back a certain predetermined distance.

The bevel of the two cutters should be about equal in order that the points will abut in the center of the wire, and the equal slope will carry it straight into the back of the brush. Any material may be used for the brush back which is sufliciently solid and which can be penetrated, such as hard or soft wood, rubber, leather, vnlcanite, celluloid and other compositions and even soft metals may be used. The shape of the back is also immaterial as it may be flat as shown in Fig. 1,

or it may be cylindrical as shown in Fig. 7. The cylinder may be made up in sections and fitted together or the bristles may be forced into a solid cylinder by supporting it on its axis as will readily appear.

Any shape of wire maybe used, several sections of which are shown in Fig. 8, the only difference being that the passage in the wire guide and feed rollers will have to be made to conform to each shape. Any kind of suitable wire may also be used, such as steel, brass, copper, bronze, &c.

The operation of my machine is as follows: The cam 45 is so arranged on the shaft that when the brush is in position for the insertion of the wire the small flap closes the opening below the cutters. The rocker arm then turns and by means of the pawl and gear wheels, the rollers are revolved and the wire is inserted. At this moment, the large part of the cam 45 raises lever 69 and forces the cutter 65 against the Wire cutting it off. Then as the lever passes the notch of the cam, the spring 72 throws back the sliding piece 68 to its extreme position, thus uncovering the opening in the lower part of the wire guide by drawing the side flaps 7 5 from it. At this moment the cam 36 operates the rack and pinion of the slide rest and moves the brush along one space so that it is ready for the next insertion.

Each revolution of the main shaft inserts a bristle and in actual practice the shaft is revolved at the rate of one hundred and fifty revolutions per minute with perfect success. Although I have specifically described the form and details of construction which Iprefer to use, I do not wish to. be limited to the construction exactly as described, for obviously many changes of form and detail may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I am aware that brushes have been made heretofore, by forcibly passing the wire, clear through a thin layer of backing material, such as rubber, and having it project from the other side a sufficient length to form the bristle, but in all such cases it is necessary to head down the wire against the backing and to fasten it to the solid back of the brush. My process of making the brush is essentially different from this, as it consists in forcing the Wire from a continuous roll, directly into the solid back of the brush itself, a sufficient distance to hold the bristle absolutely firm and then cutting it off at the desired length for the bristle on the same side of the back from which itwas forced in. In this way, any thickness or form of back may be used, such as a solid cylinder, and the bristles are held absolutely firm and rigid in the back, which result could not be obtained in the devices heretofore used; and I disclaim the process of and mechanism for making brushes which consists in forcing the wire clear through the thin layer of backing material, as above stated, such as is disclosed in Patent No. 195,075,

dated September 11, 1877, it being essentially different from my process which consists in forcing the wire a considerable distance directly into the solid back of the brush.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The method of making wire brushes which consists in feeding the wire from a contin uous coil between rollers forcibly inserting itinto theimperforate solid back of the brush a sufficient distance to hold it firmly automatically, cutting off thewire at the desired length to form the bristles, leaving said bristles projecting from the same side of the solid vback from which they were forced in, and automatically moving the brush back into position for the next insertion.

2. In awire brush machine,the feed rollers with their operating gear wheels, and the wire guide extending down to the solid back of the brush, said guide being provided with a slot or opening at its lower end for the escape of the bristle substantially as described.

3. In a wire brush machine, the two feed rollers, one having a fixed bearing and the other an adjustable bearing, whereby the pressure between them may be varied, and the wire guide, provided with a slot or opening at its lower end for the escape of the bristle substantially as described.

4. In a wire .brush machine, the two'feed rollers, one having an adjustable bearing, their operating gears and connecting rods, and the wire guide having the two small segments cut in its edge at the point where the rollers fit together, said guide being provided with a slot or opening at its lower end for the escape of the bristle substantially as described. 5. In a wire brush machine, the two feed rollers, the wire guide adjacent to said rollers and extending down to the back of the wire brush, said guide being provided with'a slot or opening at its lower end for the escape of the bristle the sliding rest supporting the said brush back and adapted to slide automatically beneath the wire guide, substantially as described.

6. In awire brush machine, the feed rollers 59 and 60, the connecting rod attached to the crank of the main shaft, the rocker arm with its pawl and gears for operating the feed rollers, the wire guide, and the adjustable cutters, automatically operated to cut off the wire, substantially as described.

7.- In a wire brush machine, the two feed rollers arranged to pass the Wire between them under pressure, the wire guide extending down to the solid back of the brush and provided-with a slot or opening at its lower end for the escape of the bristle, and the adjustablecuttersprovided with diamond points, substantially as described.

8. In a wire brush machine, the two feed rollers, the wire guide, and the adjustable cutters,said guide being provided with a slot or opening below the cutters, the flap secured to a sliding piece and adapted to be automatically moved to cover the slot when the wire is being inserted and to uncover it at the instant the wire is cut otf,substantiallyas described.

9. In a wire brush machine, the feed rollers and the wire guide adjacent thereto, provided with a vertical slot or opening at its lowerend for the escape of the bristle the adjustable cutters working through a slot in said guide, and the sliding rest adapted to be moved automatically beneath the guide, substantially as described.

10. In a wire brush machine, the two feed rollers and the wire guide extending down to the solid back of the brush and provided with a slot or opening for the escape of the bristle, the stationary cutter on one side of said guide, the movable cutter attached to the sliding piece on the other side, a cam 45 suitably set upon the shaft, and a pivoted lever 69 bearing against the face of said cam and also against the sliding piece, whereby the cutter is operated after the insertion of each wire bristle, substantially as described.

11. In a wire brush machine, the feed rollers and the wire guide, provided with an opening or slot at its lower end for the escape of the bristle the adjustable cutters working through said guide beneath the rollers, the

sliding rest arranged to support the brush back beneath the wire guide, a cam 36 suitably set on the shaft, the pivoted lever 39 bearing against the face of the cam, and the connected pinion and rack, whereby the slidin g rest is moved one space after each bristle is out off, substantially as described.

12. In a wire brush machine, the feed rollers with their operating gears, the wire guide having an opening below the cutters, an adjustable flap secured to a sliding piece, a movable cutter also secured to said sliding piece, and the cam and lever, by which the opening is kept covered while the wire is be ing inserted and then automatically out 01f, substantially as described.

13. In a wire brush machine, the feed rollers and the wire guide adjacent thereto, the adjustable cutters working below the rollers, and the deflector 78 secured just below the cutters, whereby the wire bristles of the preceding row will be deflected to one side, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JULES BUCIIEL. Witnesses:

G. F. COOKER, EMILE F. BUOHEL. 

